Salvation
by donniesyx
Summary: In a post-apocalyptic war, a group of hybrids bred by the government gets loose. When Clary joined the rebel group to fight for her freedom and take down the corrupt leadership everyone so blindly follows, she had no idea that the road to salvation would have so much blood - or heartbreak. *Rated M for future Lemon* Jace/Clary.


_[A/N] alright, so, for the millionth time in my short life, i'm going to be writing a fanfiction that hopefully won't crash an burn into the fiery pits of mordor. fingers crossed._

_This fic. will be a little bit different from my other ones (not that you guys would know because you're all pretty much new readers, and this is a new account - I was hoping for a fresh new start). Alas, I hope you enjoy my twisted little fairytale. _

_*lemon for future chapters*_

_DISCLAIMER: I don't any TMI characters, though I wish I did because, let's face it, who hasn't dreamed of being the one to create the one and only Jace Herondale?_

Chapter One

The eruption of metal crashes through my ears, and for one, horribly terrifying moment, I imagine I'm back at the compound, being risen from my cell for a tasteless breakfast of stale bread and cold oatmeal. Then I blink, and the image shatters, my surroundings slowly starting to unfold around me.

Lush green foliage covers me, the brightness of the sun through the leaves blinding. Underneath, I feel the cold and unforgiving earth - but as frigid and sore as I feel, it's nothing compared to the steel cages I was used to. I'm not there anymore - I'm not being held captive like the rabid animal they think me to be.

The clanging, I realize, sitting up and raking a hand through my matted red curls, was from Simon.

"Wake up, everybody!" He has a heavy branch in one hand and a metal lid from a pot clasped in the other, hitting them together mercilessly, "Rise and shine!"

Considering just the week before, we'd been running for our lives to escape the prison the government had held us captive in, I was surprised by the amount of commotion he was making. The forest we'd taken shelter in was too close to the compound for my liking, and while we were far enough in that no vehicles would be granted easy access, it wouldn't be a chore for human feet.

"Jesus christ, does he have to do that this early?" A groaning on my left alerted me to a groaning teenage boy, a few years younger than I was. His brown hair was matted down with crusted blood and his eyes were narrowed into slits as he glared at Simon.

"Max, relax." I soothed, "There's nothing we can do about it."

"Get me that branch he's holding and I'll prove otherwise."

I stifled my small smile and nudged him as Simon wandered over to us. His arm was in a makeshift sling, the material ripped from someone's shirt, and he had a deep scratch on his face that I knew was becoming infected.

"Simon, you really 'ought to let me take a look at that." My voice was quiet, withdrawn, as I frowned and glanced up at him. When he rolled his eyes, I changed tactics, "Simon, sit down and let me look at it." My voice was firm, demanding.

Our eyes locked for a brief moment, and in it, I could see the faint traces of the boy I'd known when we were younger - the boy I'd grown up with. He'd been full of humour and sarcasm, until the government had taken it away from him, like they'd done with so many people here.

Just as sudden as they'd fallen, his walls were back in place, as was the stern tone in his voice, "After I've finished with the run-down." I nodded and watched him with a small sigh on the edge of my lips as he shook the others awake.

"Get's tiring, doesn't it?" I glanced at Max to see that his gaze was locked on Simon's retreating form as well, "Hearing the same 'run-down' every day. He can try and make it as positive as he'd like, but we all know the truth - their looking for us, and they won't stop until they find us." His voice was laced with a bitterness that made me ache inside.

I could hardly say I blamed him - like the rest of the group here, he'd been robbed of his childhood, pushed into a harsh environment full of prodding gazes and snide comments. I wished that now that we were out, he'd have the chance to rediscover his youth, explore the possibilities that had been granted to him. But that was nothing more than wishful thinking - Max would be able to do that the same time I'd be able to close my eyes and feel secure in the knowledge they would stop looking for us. Which, I knew, was never.

As far as I knew, the government had only been conducting their expirements for the last fifteen years or so. Every since _**he**_ was in charge of it. The oldest member in our ranks - a withered man who looked too old and worn to merely be in his forties, had told us stories of how it had been in the old days, before any of it had started. Hodge, his name had been.

Apparently, telling tales of life had been too much of a threat for a revolution to the government, and they'd taken Hodge away, threw him in the black room and left him to die. They'd done it to send a message - and it had gotten through. Words were dangerous.

Nobody spoke much after that.

Simon's voice broke me out of my reverie, "It's been a week since we escaped the compound, and scouts have told me that they're getting closer. We can't let down our gaurd yet." From the weary looks on everyone's faces, I knew nobody would be relaxing anytime soon, "The hunting party we sent out hasn't returned yet - it's been two days. We have to leave by nightfall, with or without them. We can't afford to stay here much longer."

As Simon continued to prattle on about how close we were to freedom and escaping the clutches of our enemies, I zoned out. I should have felt positive about the progress everyone was making - but inside, there was a hollow pit in my stomach that told me it wasn't over yet.

"Clary?" I jumped slightly and glanced over, seeing a small black-haired figure by my side.

"Sorry, I was out of it." I frowned, "What is it, Aline?"

She squirmed under my gaze, as if it were somehow powerful enough to warrant nervousness, "My cousin, he's sick. I know you're not a real doctor, but you're the only one who knows enough about this kind of stuff to do something about it, and you've done such a great job with anyone else and I just couldn't think of anybody else to ask - " She sucked in a breath, abruptly stopping her rambling, "Please help me."

I twisted the hem of my shirt in m y fingers carefully, "Aline, I don't know what I can do for him."

"But you're the only one - "

I shook my head, "Aline, I'll try. You know I will."

For a moment, she stared at me incredulously, as if she hadn't actually expected me to say yes. Her eyes glossed over, a few tears streaking down her face, "Thank you, Clary. Thank you so much. You have no idea..." She broke off and shook her head, too overcome to speak.

I smiled, though it was tinged with a sort of longing - family would have been nice to have, in an atmosphere like this. The closest I had was Simon, and these days, he was an entirely different person. We all were. Things had changed.

I followed Aline through the twisted patch of bodies, some packing, others trying to salvage the sleep that Simon had disrupted, until she paused at an unmoving body. For a moment, I thought it was too late, that he'd already passed on - until the slight rise and fall of his chest told me otherwise.

"Sebastian," She murmured, shaking him lightly, "Sebastian, I brought Clary. I brought you help." Silence answered her.

Taking one look at his sweaty temples and flushed cheeks, I knew immediately what it was. Pneumonia wasn't entirely unsurprising, considering the harsh environments and lack of proper nutrition. To add on to that, there wasn't much for us to treat it with either.

Aline seemed to realize this, "I know there isn't much you can do, considering where we are. But you're the only one who has any idea what they're doing, medically speaking."

It was true - back at the compound, I'd hated coming back to the cells and seeing people crouched in corners, holding bleeding wounds to themselves and choking back the tears, lest one of the gaurds hear them. So I'd taken it upon myself to help them, starting with things as small as learning how to bind their scrapes to what steps to take when someone was falling ill with a fever. Eventually, I'd been able to spot the symptoms early on and try to prevent the innevitable. Sometimes it worked. Others, it didn't.

I refused to let this be one of those times, however. We didn't have a lot out here, and family could go a long way.

"I'll have to get out and look for some things," I said softly, looking up into Aline's dark eyes, alight with hope. Abruptly, it diminished.

"Simon will never let you go, not this close to when we're supposed to leave."

I brushed it off, "I'll be back in time. If he asks where I am, distract him." She nodded, and after a moment's paused, I darted away into the lush forest behind us.

I had doubts that I'd be able to make it back to the camp in time - or that I'd be able to make it back to the camp at all. But I'd told Aline I'd try, hadn't I? There wasn't a lot I could do in the grand scheme of things, but at least this was something I had partial control in. I wouldn't give it up easily.

Counting the seconds, I searched the ground furiously, sending a prayer that I would find something worth Simon's undoubtable rage that would help Sebastian. I swore under my breath, searching more frantically, time ticking down as I practically threw myself into every patch of plants I could find.

There was nothing.

Placing my head in my hands, I blew out a shaky breath and raked my hands back, "Come on, Fray." I murmured, "Think. _**Think**_."

And like that, it came to me.

Retracing my steps, I grabbed a patch of berries I'd come across earlier, pricking the palm of my hand from the thorns, and a few large white flowers. They wouldn't do anything for the fever, but they'd reduce his pain enough to be able to walk to wherever it was we were headed - a place that would, hopefully, have something for me to treat him with there.

I took a few steps forward, hesitated, then decided to turn back to grab a few more flowers. It wouldn't hurt to have a few handy, in case extra doses were needed. A grin split my face, the knowledge that I would be able to do some good in this twisted world lifting my spirits.

As I turned, however, the smile froze almost immediately, my heart flying into my throat. Around me, the world spun, my fingers dropping the flowers. My eyes were fixed in front of me, unable to move.

And in front of me, an cold amber gaze bore back into mine.

_So, the first chapter has been placed - I know it's a bit slow, but trust me, it'll pick up speed soon._

_I might be updating once more tonight, because I hate odd numbers almost as much as Jace hates ducks. The next few updates might be a bit random, so bear with me - eventually, I'll start posting every Monday and Friday._

_Leave any comments, questions, suggestions and reviews - and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! _

_xx donnie_


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